At Maine East, 300 participate in Fast-a-Thon to appreciate Ramadan

Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune
Updated ·2 min read
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Maine East High School’s Fast-a-Thon drew more than 300 participants recently in an event that organizers said they hoped would educate other students and staff members about what it is like to observe the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Students and staff purchased wristbands to participate in the event, which concluded with a presentation on the holiday and a speech from State Rep. Nabeela Syed at an iftar, or “break the fast” meal the evening of April 5.

Maine East Muslim Students Association President Rayhan Khaja said he’d been asking himself how to introduce other students to the holiday and gotten the idea to hold a fast-a-thon from college campuses that have put on similar events.

“I just sat in my living room one day and thought about how I could better educate my friends and staff members about Ramadan and I thought about what if they just tried it for a day?” Khaja said.

Khaja said he hoped participants came away from the fast-a-thon with a better sense of how fasting impacts Muslim students as well as “a greater sense of community and understanding of Islamic culture and why Ramadan means so much to us.”

Junior class representative Iman Shahid said that while many people know of Ramadan, “they have so many questions.”

The idea behind this event was to answer some of those questions, she said.

“[The fast-a-thon] was a really cool event that kind of opened students’ and teachers’ eyes,” Shahid said. “So many other people got to experience it.”

Multilingual instructor and Muslim Students Association staff advisor Waleed Atawneh said the recently elected Rep. Syed, D-Palatine, set an example for civic engagement among students who weren’t much younger than she is. Syed is among the youngest ever to be elected to the Illinois General Assembly.

“She emphasized participation that we as teachers try to encourage in all of our students,” he said.

Atawneh added that the collective experience of fasting and breaking fast is also a way for people to build bonds and connect with one another.

“Aside from just abstaining from food, it’s community building,” he said. “People kind of do a common activity together. We just want other people to appreciate it, especially since we’re always trying to encourage students to build community.”